A Different Path
by Ravenne Lil
Summary: Jedi Padawans Siri Tachi and Obi-Wan Kenobi choose to leave the Jedi Order and pursue their growing relationship. However, even as civilians they can not seem to stay out of trouble! A New Chapter, A new enemy! Yay!
1. Prologue

**Title: **A Different Path

**Title: **If I Chose You

**Author:** Felicia Zezili

**Summary:** Jedi Padawans Siri Tachi and Obi-Wan Kenobi choose to leave the Jedi Order and pursue their growing relationship. However, even as civilians they can not seem to stay out of trouble! The two travel to Telos to stay with some old friends of Obi-wan's and try to figure out what to do with their lives. While there, they notice that Telos is going down a familiar path to destruction.

**Rating: **Pg-13

**Category: **AU to "Secrets of the Jedi", Romance, Drama, Adventure

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the familiar places, people or things that appear in this fanfic. They belong to their respective creators (mainly George Lucas). I am writing this only for fun and make no profit of any kind.

**Author's Notes: **I'm sure that this idea has been thought of before. Probably has but I haven't seen them and I'm entitled to my own version. The only thing I could think about while reading "_Secrets of the Jedi" _was "What if things were different?" The Order and the galaxy go to hell even with Siri and Obi-Wan still around. What if they had chosen to leave? What things in the universe could be different? This is my version. The prologue picks up at Chapter 20 of "Secrets of the Jedi"

**Prologue: Turning Point**

Siri watched as Qui-Gon Jinn and Yoda left her and Obi-wan. She had a distinct feeling that they knew what was between the two Padawans. It did not surprise her really. She knew a secret like this could not last. Master Jinn had loved once after all. He would probably easily recognize the feelings he had once had for Master Tahl in Obi-Wan now.

"It's almost as if Yoda knows about us." She said turning her gaze towards Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan's gaze dropped to the floor for a moment then back at her. Guilt washed over him, though his mind told him that it was foolish to feel this way. He hadn't told Qui-Gon or Yoda. They had discovered it themselves. His heart, however, could not help but feel as though he had betrayed her for letting their secret be found out so soon. "He does." Obi-Wan finally said.

A sense of dread suddenly filled her as she realized that if they knew about her and Obi-Wan's feelings, they had no doubt spoken him. She could see it in his eyes. They had talked to him. They had convinced him to leave her. "Don't look at me like that." Her voice was near a whisper. "You look as though you're saying goodbye."

When Obi-wan did not reply, Siri's sense of dread grew. Her hand came up to her mouth as though trying to hold in her emotions. She felt like she could burst into tears. She resented feeling this way. She wanted to scream. She wanted to curse. She took a deep breath and tried to release these emotions into the force. She needed to keep a cool head in this. "What did they say to you?"

"They said to me what I already knew. What you already know. The rules will not change. And if we leave the Jedi together, we will never rest easy with that decision. We will regret it everyday. And sooner or later that would lie between us and be greater than our love." His statement was so assured, so absolute.

She hated him in that moment. She hated that he could believe that she would ever blame him or hate him if they left the Order. She could not even say for sure if she would or would not. How could he be so sure?

She turned away from him angrily. "I don't want to look that far ahead. I don't believe you can see what will happen. Anything can happen!"

Obi-Wan stepped closer to her, lifted his hand and touched her shoulder gently. She jerked away at first. She didn't want his comfort but then she realized that this could be the last time he could comfort her like this. If they were going to choose to give up each other for the Order then she couldn't see him again. She couldn't push her feelings down deep inside her and then continue their friendship as though none of this had ever happened.

She leaned back into his chest, her back against his chest. His arms snaked around her waist and held her close him. "What do you want to do, then?" He whispered in her ear.

Siri remained silent for a long moment, she relished in the feel of his arms around her. She allowed her mind to wander. What she wanted was to be with him. "I want you." She finally said. Her voice was soft at first but then grew confident. "I want you. That is my choice. I choose this without feeling pressured or influence from anyone except my own feelings. I want you."

"You know that the Jedi need our service." Obi-Wan said his hold on her loosened slightly.

Siri turned around to face him. "Oh Obi-Wan, try not to be so pompous?" She stood close to him and looked him in the eye. "I want to know what you truly want. And I don't want you to tell me what you think I want to hear or what Master Jinn and master Yoda would want you to say. I want you to be honest with yourself and to me. Lightsaber to your neck, what do you truly want?"

Obi-Wan looked down at her. He could say that he truly wanted to stay with the Jedi. For as long as he could remember, he had dreamed about since he could remember. Of course…all he knew was the Order. Memories before his life before the Jedi were just vague images and sensations.

These feelings he had for Siri were completely unfamiliar to him. He knew what love was. He loved his friends and master but those were strictly platonic. This love was different. It was something he had never experienced; could not understand or even knew that he wanted till now. A part of him even would admit that it was worth leaving the Order.

"I want you too…" Siri's face light up. "But I can't leave the order. Neither of us can. We have been blessed with being able to use the force. Can you really turn your back on the Order even after everything they have done for us?"

Siri stepped away from them, "Others have." She countered. "We would not be the first. The Jedi Order is not everything and to some it isn't enough."

A tense silence fell between them. Obi-Wan went back over to the bench where he had been seated while speaking to Qui-Gon and Yoda. "The masters feel that there are some troubling times ahead, for the Jedi and the republic. If we left together and something did happen, how would you feel knowing you are not here with them?"

Siri looked over her shoulder at him. "I would feel sorrow and want to do all I can to help them as a civilian." She turned and walked over to the bench and took a seat. "I would hope that whatever happens is not my responsibility and my leaving was not the cause. The future is always in motion Obi-wan."

Obi-Wan sat down beside her. He leaned foreword, resting his arms against his thighs and entwining his fingers together.

"I don't think we should drag this out anymore, Obi-Wan." Siri said and she took a shaky breath. She shifted her body on the bench so she faced him fully. Obi-Wan say up and turned to her. "I just want to make it clear to you again. I…I love you. I don't know what the future holds for us if we did leave but I promise I would never hate you or blame you if I ever regretted leaving the Order because it was my choice."

Obi-Wan's words were spoken softly. "If I chose to stay?"

"I would just have to accept it, Obi-wan. I can't force you to do something you won't want to anymore then you can force me."

Obi-Wan reached out and took her hands in his. He looked down at them, ran the pad of his thumb over the skin. "We should tell our masters before we see the council. It only seems right."

Siri stiffened slightly as he spoke those words. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was? Obi-Wan looks up at her and smiled softly, there was also a tinge of sadness behind his eyes. She was certain that her own gaze reflected the same feelings. They were giving up a part of themselves. No matter what choice they made, this would have happened and the pain of lose would have been equal no matter the choice but they had to accept it and move past it if their life together was going to work.

She leaned in and wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan tightly, laying her head against his shoulder. They both could sense that this moment was going to define the course of their lives from this point on.


	2. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Whoops! put in the wrong document for Chapter 1. This is the right one. Sorry :)**

**Chapter 1 – Don't Fear It Now**

Her hands were trembling slightly. Siri took a deep breath and in her head, silently willed the shaking to stop. This was unbelievable. She was scared. She was terrified. She had gone on dangerous missions where her life was in danger. She had stood beside her master, Adi Gallia to face some of the most dangerous beings the galaxy had to offer, and never before had she felt such fear. All she was doing was standing in a public transport terminal.

You are also about to walk away from the only life you know for a much less uncertain future. A small voice in the back of her mind reminded her. That certainly was what was terrifying her so much. Any moment now the transport that would be taking her and Obi-Wan away from Coruscant would be arriving and they would be saying goodbye to their lives as Jedi.

Around her the terminal was bustling with life of the many beings that resided on Coruscant. They were coming and going. Some wishing their loved ones farewell and others welcoming with open arms. Her attention was brought to a blue skinned Twi'lek couple who stood anxiously watching the arriving transports. A bright smile appeared on the female twi'lek's face and she rushed forward, practically tackling the arriving twi'lek to the ground when she encircled her arms around him in a tight hug.

A hand was suddenly on her shoulder and Siri jumped slightly. She looked over her shoulder and a small smile appeared on her face as Obi-Wan's blue/green eyes met hers.

"Are you alright?" Obi-Wan asked in a soft voice.

Siri nodded, her blond hair bobbing with the motion of her head. "Yes, just nervous."

"Having second thoughts? We can still go back if you want. I think our masters are even waiting for us at the entrance…just incase."

Siri shook her head as she turned her gaze back to crowds that surrounded them. "No, I'm fine. Really, Obi-wan, I want to be here."

This is what they had decided and even though it was terrifying she was determined to see it through. Backing down because she was afraid of the uncertain future that lay ahead of them would just make her doubt any choices she made in the future. And she was not the type of person that backed down from something just because she was afraid. Her feelings for Obi-Wan were true and deep. She could feel them through the force. She was certain that he cared equally for her. She was not going to let something like fear of the unknown hold her back.

After making their decision to leave the Jedi in order to pursue the loving relationship they knew they could have together, Obi-Wan and Siri had gone to tell their masters of their choice. It had not been easy. In fact, going before the council and telling them of their choice sounded better then having to face Qui-Gon and Adi. However, they were adults and they wanted to show their masters that they had made this choice as adults and not hormonal, love struck teenagers. Running away from the temple without a word to anyone was not that mature thing to do. And Qui-Gon and Adi deserved to be told.

Siri had gone to her master straight away after her and Obi-Wan made their decision. When she entered their quarters, Master Gallia stood out on the balcony, leaning against the railing. Her hands were braced against the railing as she watched the sun set over the skyscrapers and the cloud cars pass by in rapid succession.

While her face had been placid, Siri could feel the turmoil of her emotions through their bond. The news of Taly's parent's murder had effected her. All the work they had done to protect him and it was still not enough. Magus found a way to hurt him.

Adi turned to look back at her, obviously having felt her presence since Siri had not made a sound entering.

Master Gallia was the embodiment of the stoic Jedi. Never one to be too emotional, it was only in the most private moments did she ever let her true emotions be seen and even in times like that, they were minimal. She had a dignified look to her, possibly a trait she inherited from her diplomat parents from Corellia. Siri had always been honored to be chosen by Adi. She was a great Jedi in Siri's eyes.

"Something on your mind, padawan?" Adi had asked after Siri had stood there several long moments lost in thought.

Siri had taken a deep breath and walked over to where her master stood. "I need to tell you something. It's very important."

Her master turned her full attention on her padawan and waited patiently for her to continue. Siri had found it hard to come out and say what she knew she had to. She thought for a moment that she saw a shade of worry pass over Adi's gaze. Finally Siri forced out the words, telling Adi all the events that passed between her and Obi-Wan on the doomed ship.

"…Because of all this, Obi-Wan and I have decided to leave the Order." Siri finished. She fell silent then, waiting for her Master to respond.

Adi had looked completely caught off guard. Unlike Master Jinn, she apparently had not caught onto the feelings that had formed between her and Obi-wan. Siri had expected an argument. Her and Adi had similar personality. They were both stubborn and had gotten into many heated arguments over the course of Siri's apprenticeship. To Siri's surprise however, Adi had remained calm and level headed. This was a delegate situation.

"I must say I feel foolish having not seen this change in my own padawan." Adi confessed. "You say Master Jinn caught onto it?"

Siri nodded. "He approached Obi-Wan about it earlier. He wants us to put aside our feelings. He wants us to let each other go and continue to be Jedi."

"Of course. No master wants to see promising students like you and padawan Kenobi leaving the Order." Adi had replied a small smile playing on her lips. "To be honest I never even considered that you would ever think leaving the Order. You were always so dedicated. I remember several years back, when you gave Obi-Wan a hard time after he left the Order briefly to join the struggle on Melida/Daan. I believe you said you would have lose your mind before you ever began to consider leaving."

Siri had remained silent. There had been a time in her life when she looked down on anyone that left the Order. She had known that there were Jedi who left. Mostly they were Padawans or Jedi who had just become knights and realized that perhaps being a Jedi was not what they wanted.

A part of her had thought that they were weak and couldn't handle the hard life of the Jedi. And there were those who left out of greed or a need for power, like Master Jinn's infamous former padawan, Xanatos. In her ignorance and naivety she had never considered leaving for reasons like she and Obi-Wan had. Till now of course.

"You're not going to hold me to something I said when I was a girl are you?" Siri had asked.

"No, Siri. As we grow, we learn new ideas and form new opinions. I'm not going to hold you to something you said when you were younger and didn't know much about the galaxy." Adi assured her then walked back into the apartment and into the kitchen area. She filled an old tea pot she had purchased on one of their less strenuous mission. She put her pot on the burner to heat the water. "I know you, Siri. You'll do as you wish, no matter what I tell you. You're old enough to make your choices and while I can give you all the advice I have at my disposal, I cannot force you to do anything."

"Thank you, Master." Siri replied.

"I only ask that you take time to think about this choice. Take more then just a day. Master Jinn brought up some good points but there are others." She reached up to the cupboards and pulled out some tea bags and two cups. "For instance," she continued, "How will you two support yourselves? What about children? Where will you live? I hate to say it, but being raised in the Jedi Temple has it's downside. You two have been sheltered. You will find that living outside in the real galaxy is very different then in the Temple."

Siri did not reply to this. She hated to admit it but she had not though of all these small issues. Her and Obi-Wan had not even discussed it. Yes, they had decided to leave the temple. However, they had not talked about or decided where they would go.

Adi turned back to the pot as it whistled, signaling that the water had come to a boil, she took the pot off the burner and poured the water into the two cups filled with tea mix. She pushed one of the cups across the counter towards Siri. "I don't bring up these things to scare you, Siri. I bring them up because I want you to be completely aware of what you are doing."

Siri went over to the counter and took the cup of tea in her hand, the material of the cup was warmed from the water inside it and it burned the skin of her hand slightly but she had not really noticed. Her and Obi-Wan still had so much to talk about.

Obi-Wan's talk with his master had not been any better then hers it seemed. When they had met each other again in the gardens after talking to their masters, Obi-Wan was reluctant to talk about what had happened between him and his master. Siri decided it was not a good time to press that issue. It had been difficult for both of them to do this but they weren't done yet. They still needed to tell the council and before that, they needed to make the proper arrangements on what they would do after leaving the Order.

Obi-Wan had decided to call in a favor. Over the course of his time with Qui-Gon, he had made many friends and allies during the missions. After some consideration, Obi-Wan had decided to contact Andra and Den on Telos. The two had been very grateful for the Jedi's help on Telos when Xanatos had once again returned and was slowly but surely destroying the planet with his mining and polluting.

It had not taken much convincing to have Andra and Den agree to allow Obi-Wan and Siri to stay with them for a short period. It was almost too easy how that issue had been resolved but as long as it was taken care of, she would wonder about what motives Andra and Den could have.

Next they had to worry about how to get there. Siri had decided that since Obi-Wan had taken care of where they would be staying, she could cover the trip to Telos. With Adi's help, she contacted a freighter pilot, Roan Nott, that Adi and her become acquainted with. It was a little bit more of a challenge to convince him to give Obi-Wan and her a free ride. As good a guy as he was. He reminded them that his ship was not a passenger liner. With some persuasion and slight compensation from Adi, he eventually did agree. Siri could barely believe the help her Master was being.

When Siri had asked her why she doing this for them, she replied that Siri and Obi-Wan were adults, more then capable of making their own choices. If they had honestly considered everything that was involved in their leaving and had made their choice from that and not just as a rash choice, then she would not hold a bitter grudge with them based on the choice they had made.

If there was one thing Adi believed most of all, it was that keeping allies and contacts were a major part of being a Jedi. Siri, while not a Jedi anymore, was still her friend. Adi had watched Siri grow from a girl to a young woman. She was not going to throw away their friendship just like that. She told Siri that she expected Master Jinn was taking this news much harder then she was. He had lost one padawan to the darkside and Obi-wan had left before. His trust was fragile when it came to padawans. It would take time for him to accept and come to terms with this.

Siri looked to her side where Obi-Wan stood, scanning the sky lanes for the ship that would soon be arriving. She could tell that it would take time for Obi-Wan to come to terms with this also.

"Is that it?" Obi-wan suddenly asked, bringing Siri back to the present.

She looked up and spotted the familiar freighter begin it's landing procedures. She smiled and nodded, "That's our ride." She bent down at the waist and picked up her bag. They had few possessions as Jedi. They had a few civilian clothes, including the ones they wore now. Mostly these had been purchased for undercover missions but now they would be the clothes they wore during their day to day lives. They also had a few small personal trinkets but there wasn't much more then that.

"It's…lovely." Obi-Wan commented as the rusted and hobbled together looking ship touched down.

Siri grinned, her blue eyes light up mischievously, "Only the best for us."

Obi-Wan laughed as they made their way over to the ship. The boarding ramp was lowered and the ship's pilot began to walk down. He smiled broadly as he strode down the ramp, he spoke loudly to be heard over the noise of the surrounding ships and hordes of people coming and going.

"It's good to see you again, Siri!" He said as they came up to him. He took Siri's hand and gave it a quick pump, then his gaze moved to Obi-Wan. "This your guy?" he gave Obi-Wan a once over with his critical hazel colored eyes.

"Yes," Siri replied, "This is Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan, this is Roan."

"Pleasure to meet you, Obi-wan." Roan said taking his hand and shaking it then quickly turning his attention back to Siri. "You know, I never would have thought I'd be meeting you again like this."

"I've been hearing that a lot recently."

"I would expect so." A awkward silence feel between them all for a moment. Roan then took a deep breath and took Siri's bag. "We best get going. I have a schedule to keep."

Obi-Wan walked up the ramp towards the shop. Siri was about to follow behind him when Roan reached out and grabbed her wrist to hold her back for a second. "You sure he's the one?" He asked, suddenly all seriousness.

Siri frowned slightly, "Did Master Gallia put you up to this?"

"No, I'm just wondering." He began to walk up the ramp slowly with her. "I've never seen a Jedi leave the Order before and I've known Jedi for many years. I know that some have left but, the idea of you leaving…can't wrap it around my brain."

Siri looked thoughtful. She had not anticipated this many people questioning if she was serious about this choice. Was she really so intense about being a Jedi that no one could see her as anything else?

"Personally," He continued, "I've never met a woman that made me want to settle, and leave this luxurious life I find myself living." Siri grinned a little, she appreciated the humor. "I have seen many girls, throw their life away for some guy and they end up regretting it, and finding themselves doing things they wouldn't normally considering doing."

"I'm not going to end up like that." Siri assured him. "Obi-Wan is not just some guy."

"Ah, the force tell you that?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Siri said.

"Who am I to argue with that?" He patted her shoulder then entered the ship with Siri right behind him.

To be continued...


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - The Weakness in me**

The trip to Telos had been uneventful. The hours in the cramped space had been passed by with Siri and Roan telling Obi-Wan of the few adventures they had, had together while Siri was padawan to Master Gallia. A Jedi never went in search for adventure or excitement but it always seemed to manage to find them one way or another.

They arrived on Telos, in the capital city, Thani, by the following afternoon. Siri and Obi-Wan thanked Roan for his services, said their goodbyes to the captain and then together descended the exit ramp of the ship.

As the two walked across the landing platform, towards the double doorway that lead into the transport terminal, Obi-Wan looked down at Siri. She had been lively and talkative during journey to Telos. Now she was silent, her face gave no clues to what she was thinking of feeling. He grasped her hand and she turned her gaze to him. There was a distinct message in her eyes. "Ask me again if I'm okay with all this, and I will hit you."

She had her doubts and she needed time to work through them. He remained silent and just gave her an assuring smile.

He had his own doubts about what they were doing. Surely any Jedi who left the Order would feel doubt about leaving. A part him began to wondered though if he kept pestering Siri about how she was feeling because he was afraid that they would compliment his own and they would realize that they had indeed made a mistake.

He quickly pushed these thoughts from his mind. They had made their choice and it was too late to go back! At least in his case. This would be the second time that he strayed from the Jedi Path. The council could be merciful but he wondered if they would allow him to come back yet again. And of course there was the matter with Qui-Gon. His master had not liked the idea of his leaving. They had argued and Obi-Wan tried to make the older man see that he wasn't betraying him. That he wasn't like Xanatos. That the situations were totally different.

Obi-Wan felt a slight twinge of jealousy as he looked at Siri. She had told him that her master, while not fond of the idea of her padawan abandoning the Order, had been more understanding then Qui-Gon and in fact had told Siri to keep in contact. Adi was a diplomat through and through. Siri was lucky. Obi-Wan wasn't even sure if Qui-Gon would ever talk to him again.

"Obi-Wan?" A voice from the past cut through his line of thought and he turned his attention to the couple waiting just inside the transport terminal. He smiles broadly at Andra and Den as he led Siri over to them.

"It's so good to see you Obi-Wan Kenobi." Andra said as she gave him a warm hug. "When Den told me that you had contacted him about coming to stay with us, I was shocked. I mean, of course you can stay with us for a while. We owe you so much for what you and Master Jinn did for the planet. I was just stunned…"

Obi-Wan couldn't help but chuckle softly. He was getting the feeling that everyone he or Siri met during these first few months would be "stunned" by their choice to leave. He pulled back from Andra's hug. "It's good to see you too Andra and thanks to you and Den for taking us in." He reached out and shook Den's hand.

Siri cleared her throat to get Obi-Wan's attention. Obi-Wan looked back at her and realized that he hadn't formally introduced her to them yet. He put an arm around Siri and moved her up a little. "Andra, Den, this is Siri Tachi.".

Andra smiled and shook Siri's hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Siri."

Den, smiled politely and took Siri's hand when she offered. His gaze roamed up and down her form before Andra gave him a sharp jab in the side with her elbow. He let go of Siri's hand and gave her a look of innocence. "What? I wasn't being perverted. I was just assessing what type of woman it would take, to persuade Obi-Wan Kenobi to leave the Jedi."

Siri gave Obi-wan a questioning look. Den wasn't making the best impression on her but Obi-Wan took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. He knew that Den and Andra were good people, even if Den could come off a little strong.

"They're using that JedI mind speak aren't they?" Den commented. "Probably talking about us." His mirthful gaze turned to Obi-Wan. "If anyone had told me that you would be leaving the Jedi for love, I would never have taken that bet. The galaxy always manages to surprise me."

"Den, help me with their things." Andra said as she moved forward and took Siri's things from her. "Our land speeder is waiting outside. We'll take you to get settled in and then we'll celebrate!"

"Celebrate?" Siri asked as they walked towards the exit of the terminal. Since telling their masters that they would be leaving the Order, the atmosphere around them had been that what they were doing was bad. What could this woman have seen in the situation that was worth celebrating?

"Your upcoming nuptials of course." Andra replied to Siri's confused question. She looked over her shoulder at the young woman. "Considering the big sacrifice that you've made for each other, I only assumed that the next step would be marriage."

Siri gave her a tight smile. "Of course."

As they walked out to the crowded streets of the capital and made it to Den and Andra's land speeder, Obi-Wan noticed Siri's demeanor had changed. Just the feel of her presence in the Force was different. She was tense and agitated. While Andra and Den put their bag into the speeder he took Siri aside. "Siri, what's wrong?"

Siri took a deep breath to calm her emotions, obviously irritated that he had seen her displeasure. "I'd rather not talk about it out in the open like this. Wait till we get back to Andra and Den's place okay?"

Obi-Wan gave her a smile and led her back over to the speeder where Andra and Den waited. Once inside the speeder, the foursome took off towards the house that Andra and Den had made together. No longer living in water tank or an apartment rented out from a land lady with a touch of obsessive compulsive disorder; Andra and Den's home was located in one of the suburbs of the city.

When they arrived at the modest home, Andra and Den led them inside and showed them the guest room where they would be staying. The house was warmly furnished. There was comfortable seating, arranged to promote social interaction between whoever occupied the seats.

After putting away their things, Obi-Wan and Siri were invited to sit down while Den and Andra went to the kitchen to get drinks and food necessary for their celebration. While they waited, Obi-Wan leaned over to where Siri was seated in an arm chair across from his and asked in a lowered tone, "Ready to talk about what is bothering you?"

Siri glanced over to the entrance to the kitchen where she could hear Den and Andra rustling around. Satisfied that they would be in there at least for a couple more minutes she turned back to Obi-Wan. "I don't want to marry you."

For a moment Obi-Wan stared at her with slack jawed disbelief. "You…don't want to marry me?" His voice was no longer the hushed tone he had started with. "We gave up our lives as JedI to be together. One would think that marriage would be understood."

Siri held up her up her hands. "Wait, I don't mean I never want to marry you. I just mean, I don't want to do it right now."

"Then when?" Obi-Wan asked, there was a hint of impatience in tone. "When would be the right time for you, Siri."

"When we have jobs for starters." She retorted, her tone rising to match his now. "How about, when we have a plan on where we want to settle. You said yourself that Telos is just a stopping point." She leaned back in her seat and let out an exasperated breath then noticed two figures over her shoulder.

Andra and Den stood in the doorway of their kitchen, carrying beverages and a tray of food. A thick silence perforated the room as Den crossed over to a small low table in the middle of the seating arrangements and placed down his tray. Obviously him and Andra had assumed too much about Siri and Obi-Wan's relationship.

Andra came over with drinks and placed then down. "You know…instead of just sitting inside, how about I take Siri out to see some of the sites. It's her first time here after all and if you two are sticking around for some time, she should get to know the area." Andra turned her warm inviting smile to Siri. "What do you say, Siri?"

Siri glanced at Obi-Wan before getting up from her seat and going over to Andra. "Sounds good to me."

"Great!" Andra led Siri to the front door and called over her shoulder, "We'll be back later, boys." Then her and Siri were gone.

Obi-Wan leaned his elbows against his knees and put his head in his hands. Suddenly all his doubts were coming at him full force. What was he doing? Him and Siri hadn't been alone together for a week and already they were fighting. Fighting of course wasn't new to them but it felt different now.

Den flopped down onto the seat across from Obi-Wan and grinned broadly. "Don't take it so hard, kid. This is just the beginning. It can get much worse."

Obi-Wan lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at Den. "Are you trying to encourage me?"

"Joke!" Den cried out and laughed. "Really, Obi-Wan that was just a little bit of what it's going to be like but it's okay! Because it's not about the arguments, it's about how you handle it. It's better then bottling it all up till it drives you crazy."

Obi-Wan leaned back in his seat and stared at the ceiling. "I've just been wondering more and more recently whether we did the right thing. What if my master was right and this doubt is going to grow and just come between the two of us till we're miserable and can't stand each other."

Den reached out and took a piece of fruit from the tray and slipped the whole piece in his mouth and said as he chewed, "I think if you really believe that were going to happen you wouldn't have left with her." He swallowed, "Can't you Jedi see into the future?"

Obi-Wan grinned, "Not exactly."

"Too bad. I could have used your talents on some upcoming gambling opportunities." Den took a sip of one of the drinks left on the table. "I have to confess something to you Obi-Wan. I have ulterior motive for letting you and Siri stay with us. I need a favor."

Obi-Wan lifted his head off the back of the chair as he waited for Den to continue.

Den stood up and began to pace the room. "The POWER party is having some problems. Even with UniFy and Offworld and Xanatos gone, there are still a dozen other mining companies nipping at our planet's resources. People are starting to forget what happened before. The government is starting to let these companies grease their palms with their dirty money."

Obi-Wan's gaze followed Den as he strode back and forth across the room. "How am I suppose to help exactly? I'm not a Jedi anymore. I don't have any authority to do anything."

Den stopped and turned to face him. "I don't want you to do anything that would involve force." He walked back over to the seating arrangement and sat down across from Obi-Wan. "Just talk at the next POWER party meeting. Put the fire back in the people to actively fight against these companies. Bring the passion back, like it was when you and Qui-Gon left."

"And why isn't Andra asking for my help." Obi-Wan asked, a skeptical look on his face. Den was a good name but he always seemed to have an ulterior motive if it benefited him. He was a thief at one point after all. "No offense to you, Den but you never seemed to have the POWER Party's best interest at heart."

"And I still don't." Den said blatantly. "The POWER party was always Andra's thing. I'm looking out for Andra's best interests." Den's tone became very serious and almost sad as he continued. He looked at Obi-Wan and for the first time since Obi-Wan had met him, Den's face was stripped away of all the humor and the charm. "When I told Andra that you and Siri were coming to stay with us, she was very happy. Happier then I've seen her in months."

"It was really good for a couple years after UniFy was taken down." Den continued. "Everyone wanted to be involved in helping Andra and her cause. But then it all started going down in this spiral. First people began to lose interest and when people lost interest the government wasn't pressured anymore to listen to us. Because they weren't pressured to listen to us, they started listening to these other mining companies. The mining companies were then allowed to drill, small bits of land at first but they are expanding. And during all that time, Andra's faith in people and in her cause began to dwindle."

Obi-Wan could feel Den's anger towards these people that had allowed things to progress back to where Telos could be in peril yet again and from experience, Obi-Wan knew how deeply Andra was effected by the things that happened to the planet. She may not have been force sensitive like him and Siri but she had an emotional tie to the land.

"She's in a dark place, Obi-Wan." Den looked down at the cup he had been drinking from. "And I am afraid that she's going to go down so deep in that dark place one day that I won't be able to reach her. I feel helpless Obi-Wan and I don't like that feeling."

"I'll talk to Siri about this, Den." Obi-Wan replied. He reached out and put a hand on Den's shoulder.

Den looked up and grinned, his mask of charm and humor back. "You know, Obi-Wan, it may get worse but if you stick around through the bantha fodder it gets really good."

That evening after Andra and Siri had returned from their tour, they four of them had dinner, talked for a few hours afterwards and then they retreated to their rooms for tonight. Obi-Wan had waited till Siri had come from the fresher changed for bed before telling her about Den's request.

She shook her head before he could finish reiterating Den's words. "I knew that something was up. That man had deception all around him. We cannot get involved Obi-Wan. We're not Jedi anymore and this isn't even our homeworld. We could be gone in a matter of months. Who would listen to us?"

"I have a history here. That could give us sway over the people. They just want us to remind the people of what happened and how it looks like it could be happening again. That's all."

Siri smiled at his naivety, "It's never that easy, Obi-Wan and you know it. If we get involved in this planet's politics, we're going to be sucked in deeper then we ever meant to." She sat on the edge of the bed and was silent for a few moments. "We'll go tomorrow but only because I like that Andra woman."

Obi-Wan smiled and flopped down on the other side of the bed. "Good, I'll tell Den in the news in the morning."

Siri nodded then looked at the bed between them. The room was furnished in the same manner as the rest of the home to make the room warm and relaxing. The bed was comfortable and after the sleep couches in the ship that brought them to Telos, it would be a nice change. "Guess we go to sleep now."

Obi-Wan looked across the bed from where he laid. "It won't be awkward, Siri. We shared that thermal blanket in the cargo bay. That wasn't awkward…not entirely"

"Obi-Wan, that was survival and everything we do now is a little awkward." She grinned, "Things have changed." As Jedi an issue between males and females never came up. It was understood that nothing was going to happen. But now they weren't Jedi and there was no code to tell them what they could or could not do. She leaned across the bed and took his hand.

Obi-Wan pulled her down and over to his side of the bed, so she was laying next to him. She smiled slightly. This felt good to be here with him like this. Their connection wasn't a fluke that happened only because they were in a life or death situation. It had to be real.

She reached a hand out and caressed his chest. The fabric of his sleep shirt was thin and light and she could feel to slight hair on his chest. She didn't know what to expect from this nigh. They had not even kissed yet. It seemed like much to jump right to an intimate physical relationship so soon.

Obi-Wan took her hand from his chest and kissed the back of it then smiled down at her. She returned his smile. "Obi-Wan I'm sorry about earlier today. I hope I didn't scar you."

"Of course not." He replied with a lopsided grin.

Siri chuckled and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "You're a bad liar." she whispered. "I bet your whole Jedi career flashed before your eyes." She shifted her weight and straddled his waist, leaning over him with her hands pressed against the mattress on each side of his head. She lowered her lips to his and kisses him tenderly.

Obi-Wan's arms slide around her waist and pulled her down on top of him. "See, not awkward at all."

"You're right. Not awkward at all." Siri kissed him again, this time with more passion and certainty.

To Be Continued...


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! I hope the pace is going well. I sometimes feel I am boring people because I'm already up to chapter 3 and there is no action. :( There will be though. **

**Chapter 3 - About Last Night**

It was early morning when Obi-Wan awoke in the bed beside Siri, who was sleeping peacefully. There really was no reason for him to be up this early. It wasn't like it was in the temple, where he had a full day of training ahead of him and a master liked to get the day started early. Of course, old habits die hard and he was conditioned to waking up early.

He rolled over onto his side to face Siri who was to his right. She looked angelic when she slept peacefully, a contrast to her sometimes confrontational personality. He reached over gently brushed back a piece of her hair. She shifted in her sleep and brushed his hand away from her face, muttering incoherently. Obi-Wan took hold of her hand and kissed it.

He got up from the bed and retrieved a fresh tunic and pants before going into the fresher to clean up for the day ahead. Once dressed, he left the bedroom and went to the kitchen area.

He didn't expect anyone else in the household to be awake but, to his surprise, Den was seated at the dinning table, the smell of caf hung in the air. As Obi-Wan entered the kitchen, Den sat up straighter and turned to face him, giving the younger man a tired smile. "Morning." Den looked worn down, there were dark circles under his eyes and he looked a little pale.

"Good morning, Den." Obi-Wan replied as he walked toward the table and took a seat. "Are you alright?"

Den grinned, "Just had a little trouble sleeping. How did last night go?"

Obi-Wan felt a blush creep up his cheeks. "I-I really don't think that is any of your business."

Den looked confused for a moment as he stared at Obi-Wan then the realization dawned on him. "Oh…Oh!" He laughed and finished what caf remained in his cup. "No, no I'm talking about how it went when you told Siri about my request!"

A relieved smile crossed over Obi-Wan's face and he laughed nervously. "Right…that. She agreed to it. But she doesn't believe that it will have any impact."

"Of course it will!" Den said as he stood up. "You just need to tie what happened back then to what is happening now, and the fact that you're a JedI will hold sway over them."

"Former Jedi." Obi-Wan reminded him.

Den waved his hand dismissively, "Well, just don't bring up that part." He walked over to the caf dispenser and got another cup for himself and for Obi-Wan, then crossed back over to the table and handed Obi-Wan his cup. "Drink up. We'll leave as soon as the womenfolk are up."

When Obi-Wan and the other arrived at the location of the POWER party assembly, the crowd gathered was already large. Obi-Wan began to feel an anxiousness come over him and suddenly wished that he had several days to prepare more. Siri must have felt his anxiety because she gave his hand a tight, reassuring squeeze.

Andra looked just as nervous as Obi-Wan felt. She had not been happy at all when Den had told her about his request to Obi-Wan. She felt it wasn't right for them to drag Obi-Wan and Siri into their troubles. Not when they had their own issues to deal with. However, when Obi-Wan insisted that this was the least they could do, in return for the room and board that Andra and Den had so graciously offered them, she had reluctantly accepted.

She moved toward a group of high ranking members of their party and exchanged words with them before she came back over to the group. A middle-aged man with slicked back graying brown hair followed behind her. "Obi-Wan, Siri, this is Cal Ordona." Andra said, motioning towards the man. "He's become a very trusted friend since the POWER party was reformed."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Cal replied with a small bow of his head to Siri and Obi-Wan. "It's very fortunate that you should arrive at such a turbulent time for us. The will of the Force perhaps?"

"Perhaps." Siri replied. The more she thought about this situation, the more she was beginning to believe that perhaps their leaving the Order would do some good. The force was always in motion, as Master Yoda liked to say.

"Cal has been a strong spokesman for the POWER Party. He'll be introducing you before you go up, Obi-Wan." Andra led them over to elevated stage with a podium where they could easily be seen by the rest of the party members.

As Andra went back to preparing before the event would begin, Cal turned to Obi-Wan and pulled him aside. "I wonder, would it be too much to ask if you could meet a student of mine? I am a teacher and one of my students, a young man, has a great potential for a career in public service."

"Sir, I'm not a politician…" Obi-Wan began but Cal simply smiled.

"Of course not but you were a Jedi." Cal put his arm around Obi-Wan shoulder, "What can be more related to public service then that? And don't worry, Andra has told me that you and the young lady are not apart of the Order anymore. I believe however that it would be beneficial to my student to speak with someone close to his age about what a life in public service can be like."

Obi-Wan did not look convinced and was about to decline but Cal apparently sensed that his attempts were about to be shot down so instead he took his arm from around Obi-Wan's shoulder and held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, you're not sure. That's fine, I can understand. How about you just meet him after the talk. He's here right now."

"I'll meet him." Obi-Wan said quickly before he could be interrupted again.

"Excellent!" Cal patted his back. "I should go get ready to introduce you. I look forward to hearing what you have to say."

As Cal walk over to where Andra was, Siri came over to his side. She crossed her arms. "You just can't say no to people can you?"

"There is no harm in meeting someone. If good could come out of it, why shouldn't I try and help?"

"Because that is not our life anymore Obi-Wan." She took hold of his forearms and turned him to face her. "I know it seems selfish, but at some point we are going to have to think about catering to our own needs."

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "I know Siri. And I swear to you, after I meet with Cal's student that will be the last thing I do to help others. You have my word." He smiled. "Trust me?"

Siri chuckled softly, "Alright Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan leaned forward and kisses her forehead. "It amazes me how you were able to turn off the Jedi inside of you."

Siri took his arm and led him over to where Andra and Den were waiting. "I just have more self control then you." She said with a mischievous grin.

Siri and Obi-Wan took their seats up on the elevated stage as the POWER party assembly began. Cal stood up from his seat and went over to the podium, where he greeted the other members and then went right into the matter on hand. "As you all should be aware of, our local government has once again begun to cater to the interests of corporations from other worlds and the best interests of Telos have been placed on the back burner."

There were scattered mummers through the crowd, while other clapped their agreement.

"We have fallen into a state of contentment and it's put our planet in danger, once again." Cal continued. "It not so many years ago that we were fooled and manipulated. We allowed ourselves to be blinded by promises of money and cheap thrills." He motioned back to Obi-Wan. "We have with us today, one of the Jedi who was here during that time and thanks to them and the founders of the POWER party, that our planet was brought back from the brink." He turned to Obi-Wan fully then. "Obi-Wan, would you please come up and say a few words?"

Obi-Wan stood up from his chair and went over to the podium. Cal gripped his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before stepping away and returning to his seat.

As he looked out over the crowd he felt the anxiousness return. He had leadership qualities. When the situation called for it, he could step up and take charge. He also had passion when it came to good causes that he believed in. But as he had told Cal, he was no politician. Nor did he want to be one.

He took a deep breath and glanced over at Andra to give her a reassuring smile before turning to the crowd. "When my Master and I had first come to Telos not so long ago, we had no initially come to save the planet. We had come looking for a very dangerous and manipulative man. When we had found that he had so easily worked his way back into the hearts of the people, we were concerned."

"He was an expert con man and knew that if he could just focus your attention onto something other then his underhanded deeds, he could do whatever he wanted. And it worked, for a short time but that is all he needed to turn your sacred pools into acid and steal resources from the planet. If he had been let, he would have decimated the Telos' beauty and left the planet as nothing more then a husk. A dead world."

The energy in the room was beginning to rise as Obi-Wan continued, reminding them all of the anger they felt on that day when they had been shown just what was happening to their world, when they had realized that their own greed and selfishness had allowed their government to stray and give into the demands and bribes of a traitor.

"I may not be a native to this planet but I know the passion of the people who live here. I can understand the love that hold for their world and I do not wish to see what once happened, happen again. Not when it can be easily avoided. Show your elected officials that this is not acceptable. That the protection of the planet should be a top priority. If you come together as one, they will listen."

The energy in the room became too big to keep contained and the crowed erupted into applause and cheers. Chants for change began to echo through the room. Obi-Wan stepped back from the podium and went back to where Andra, Den and Siri were seated as Cal returned to the podium to finish up the assembly.

Andra leaned over from her seat and gripped Obi-Wan's hand. "That was wonderful! You really got them excited about our cause again."

As Andra leaned back, Den put his arm around her shoulder and leaned over to kiss her cheek. He looked very pleased himself though his pleasure was obviously from seeing Andra so enthused by the outcome.

Obi-wan sat back in his chair with a satisfied smile on his face. Even if it wasn't his job anymore, he took great pleasure in being able to help those in need. He glanced over at Siri and their gazes met. "You did good, Obi-Wan." She said.

Even after the formal assembly had ended there was still a large number of members who were hanging around and preparing on what their next move should be to alert the government that they were not going to sit by and allow corporations to take over their natural resources for their own profit.

Cal had left them standing by the elevated stage as he left to retrieve his student from the crowed. He found the young man quickly and returned to them. As they drew closer however, a cold chill went through Obi-Wan as he recognized the young man. The white hair, the pale blue eyes, it was Kad Chun, Bruck Chun's younger brother. Kad did not seem at all pleased that the JedI whom Cal was introducing him to was the being he believed to be his brother's killer. A deep frown was etched in his pale features.

Siri could feel his tension and unease. "Obi-Wan, what's wrong?"

Before he could answer, Kad and Cal had made it up to them and Cal was already into the introductions. "Kad, it's a pleasure for me to introduce you to--"

"Obi-Wan Kenobi." Kad finished for him. He did not even try to hide the distain in his tone.

Cal look surprised, "You've met before?"

"This is the Jedi who killed my brother, Bruck."

Obi-Wan wasn't going to argue the point with him here and now. It taken him years to get through Bruck's death. He looked at Cal. "Perhaps this isn't such a good idea after all."

"You're right it's not." Kad injected, his voice had an icy edge to it. "There is no advice that I would take from you. And unlike the rest of these people, I am not going to be taken in by your noble words. You're no different then Xanatos was. All you Jedi are conniving and manipulative. The only good thing you have done is leaving the Order. When you screw up again, you won't have that safety net to keep you from the punishment you deserve." With that the young man turned and weeded his way through the crowed, away from Obi-Wan.

Cal remained silent for a few moments then looked at Obi-Wan, "I'm sorry for that. I had hoped that his bitterness toward the Jedi had subsided. His brother's death was a hard loss to him and his family but I believe he can get past that and instead of focusing his energy on anger, focus it on doing good for the people."

Obi-Wan could do nothing but nod and turn to the others, "I'd like to go now."

"Of course." Andra said and began to lead them toward the exit.

As they moved through the crowd, Siri wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned against him. The gesture was simple but comforting. This side of her personality she rarely showed people. It was only recently that he had seen it himself but it meant the world to him right now. He knew he could get through this as long as he had her.

They were just about to reach the exit when Andra suddenly stopped. Security officers were standing by the exit and approached them when they caught sight of the group. "We are here to pick up Denetrus." one of the security officers stated curtly.

"What's this about?" Den said as he stepped forward. Without any further explanation the security officers grabbed Den by the shoulders and slammed him up against the wall. Den struggled against them but that only caused them to slam him against the wall even harder to make him compile.

"Wait! Why are you arresting him? What did he do?" Andra asked frantically. She moved closer to them but a security officer quickly turned and forced her to step back. "We have a right to know what he's being arrested for!"

"We have a warrant for his arrest ma'am." The officer replied.

"But, what did he do!?" Andra's patience was going quickly. She did not believe that Den had done anything recently to warrant an arrest. She had made sure that he had given up his thieving ways. She trusted him.

"This has to be a mistake. Some old warrant that didn't get cleared up." Den looked over his shoulder at Andra and grinned. "Don't worry it has to be an error. It'll get cleared up and then we can ask an apology from all these dinkos."

The security officers took Den from the building and led him to a waiting speeder.

It had been hours since they picked him up and left him in this small, window less cell. He laid on the thin cot and stared up at the ceiling, in his head going over what could possibly have earned him an arrest warrant. He had given up his past life deeds at Andra's request. And as much as he was sometimes tempted to put his skills to use just for fun sometimes, he had learned to control himself and accept that if he were going to be married to a savior of the planet, he would have to get used to the straight and narrow. For Andra he would do anything.

He heard the heavy click of the cell door's locking mechanism disengage and quickly scrambled to get off the cut and stand up. He brushed back his tousled blonde hair and waited for the door to open.

When it did, a guard stepped into the cell and stood against the wall as two other men entered the cell behind him. They were well dressed and looked out of place in the cell. Suddenly Den got the impression that his arrest had nothing to do with any actual misdeed of his.

One of the men, the taller of the two reached out and extended his hand to Den. "Hell, Denetrus. My name is Davith Arthos and this is my associate Atlan Lyons. We represent Pate Mining and Development."

Den ignored his extended hand. "Are you the reason that I've been placed in here?"

Davith put on a practiced charming smile. "We had nothing personally do with your imprisonment. You actually have a lot of warrants that you could be arrested for. The planet's government seems alright with ignoring that though considering your reputation as part of the group that thwarted Off-world."

"It's just a coincidence then? You just happen to show up when I just happen to be arrested."

Davith chuckled and waved a dismissive had at Den's questions. "I am not at liberty to discuss any of that with you at this time. However, we are here to make you an offer."

Atlan took up the conversation with ease, as though they had practiced this conversation before coming to see him. "As Davith stated, you do have a number of warrants that have gone ignored because of you pseudo-celebrity status. These warrants are a weakness for you, as anyone with the right connections could have them persuaded."

"However," The conversation jumped back to Davith, "if you work with us, we can work with you. All your legal trouble could disappear. All you have to do is convince our lovely wife, Andra if I'm not mistaken, to back our companies bid for land in one of the national parks. With the POWER party leader's backing, we will certainly win. You have my personal assurance that we do have the land's best interest at heart."

Den arched a brow.

"Of course" Atlan chimed in again. "If you refuse we can make even more trouble for you. You are not untouchable and neither is your wife."

Davith's charming smile never faltered, even through Atlan's blatant threats. "We'll leave you to consider your options. When you are ready, you will be released from the cell and free to go home." Davith and Atlan turned and left the cell with the guard following behind them.

As the door slammed shut and the locking mechanism once again engaged, Den sat back down on the cot and put his head in his heads. This was bad. Even worse then it had been with off-world. Andra hadn't been considered a threat back then. But that had been their downfall and now the corporations were aware of their potential. He couldn't sit back and allow her to be hurt.

to be continued...


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - The Silence of Truth**

Obi-Wan, Siri and Andra returned to Andra and Den's home hours after Den had been arrested. They had spent the rest of the day at the local security station trying to get anyone to give them information on Den's arrest. The list of charges were long and the bail was set at a ridiculously high price because of Den's repeat offenses. Andra believed it was all fodder.

"There is no justice in this city. It's all a joke!" Andra exclaimed as she threw her coat down on one of the chairs in the living room. She began pacing the room. "Den was pardoned from all those past offenses and I know that he hasn't been doing anything devious since we became involved. He promised me…" her steps slowed. Obi-Wan and Siri could see that her words had brought up a seed of doubt that Den may not have been honest with her.

"This is no coincidence, Andra." Obi-Wan quickly injected.

Siri nodded in agreement. "I sense that there is more to Den's arrest. He clearly loves you and wouldn't be doing anything behind your back, that could hurt you." She looked at Obi-Wan, "Right?"

Obi-Wan looked a little uncertain. He knew that Den cared for Andra. He had seen the desperation in Den when he thought of Andra slipping away from him to a dark depression and he knew that the man would do anything for Andra. Would he go against his promise? It wouldn't be unusual to his character. Years had passed since he had last been to Telos. He couldn't say anything for sure about Den's character. "He loves you Andra." He finally said, "And I agree with Siri that there is more to this then what we're seeing."

Andra slowly sat down on a cushioned armchair, she hugged herself tightly, "It's happening again." She said, her voice soft with a twinge of fear. "These…these companies have all this power and influence. They use it to destroy us."

"You think one of the companies trying to come in and mine on Telos is behind Den's arrest?" Siri asked as she sat down next to Andra. She put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Andra nodded, "I've been through this before. Two representatives even came to me a month ago and proposed that the POWER party should back them. When I refused they gave some lightly veiled threats and then left." She let out a frustrated sound and stood up suddenly. "I should have seen this would happen!" She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

Obi-Wan was about to say something and attempt to calm her down when the front door to the house opened. All eyes turned to the doorway.

Den stood just outside the door, a crocked grin, that didn't reach his eyes, plastered on his lips, "Miss me?" He stepped over the threshold and immediately Andra ran over and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back and kissed her tenderly. "I told you I'd be back."

Andra pulled back, "What happened? Why did they let you go? When we went to where they were holding you, they said you'd only be put in my custody if we paid the bail."

"They dropped the charges." Den replied simply. He let go of Andra and went towards the kitchen. "I'm starving. Did you all eat already?"

Andra followed behind him, she wanted answers. "What do you mean they dropped the charges? Did they make a mistake to begin with?"

He didn't respond to her questions and instead focused on the drink he retrieved and a piece of fruit.

"Den, look at me." She grabbed his shoulder and turned him around to face her.

"I don't want to talk about it right now! Okay, Andra? Let's just be happy I was released." He pulled away from her touch and moved past her, heading out of the kitchen and towards their bedroom. "Just let me eat and lay down on my own bed."

After he disappeared into the room and closed the door behind him, a tense silence once again filled the space. Andra ran her hands over her dark brown hair and sighed. She turned and met the unsure gazes of Obi-Wan and Siri. She gave them a slight humorless smile. "Sometimes you just have to give each other space." She walked past them and patted Obi-Wan on the shoulder. "Thank you for what you did for us today Obi-Wan. I really do appreciate it."

"Are you going to be okay, Andra?" Obi-wan asked softly.

Andra nodded. "As soon as Den is ready to talk, we'll learn more about what is going on. I faced this once with Offworld, I can do it again. With the help of Siri and yourself, if you don't mind."

"Of course not." Obi-Wan replied readily. He didn't dare look at Siri.

Andra smiled again, only this time, the smile touched her eyes, "Thank you. I'm going to make some tea and then, I guess we'll just wait." She turned and went back into the kitchen.

Obi-Wan, now alone with Siri turned to meet his fate. "Before you say anything--" He began but a quick wave of her hand brought his words to a halt.

"Don't even brother, Obi-Wan" She said bluntly, "We're apart of this now, I understand that. Besides it seems irresponsible to just leave when there are obvious problems. If we can do something to help, we should. We don't have to be Jedi to do good things."

Obi-Wan pulled her close to him and hugged her tightly. "I think we should go out and do some snooping around."

Siri pulled back and looked up at him quizzically, "We don't have our lightsabers or any weapons, what are we going to do if we find trouble?"

"You can take our blasters." Andra's voice came from the kitchen. The two former Jedi turned to face her. She stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "We have blasters you can use. They're probably better in your hands."

Andra took the tea from the burner then went to retrieve the blasters that her and Den had for personal protection. If it were up to Den, they would probably be carrying them all the time but in her mind, Telos was a civilized planet and there was no reason to carry a deadly weapon with you always with you weren't part of the military or security force. She handed the holsters over to Obi-Wan and Siri. "Hopefully they will work. They haven't been put to much use in the past few years."

Obi-Wan strapped on the holster, "Chances are, we won't need to find out. We're not going to look for a fight, this is just a precaution."

Once him and Siri were ready, they both headed out the front entrance of the home, leaving Andra to wait for Den to come from the room when he was ready to talk.

Den laid on the bed he shared with Andra nightly and stared at the ceiling. He had been laying here for the past hour, thinking over the offer that the Pate Mining and Development representatives had given him. He would do anything to protect Andra. He knew he was probably being selfish, that he should worry more for the planet then his own fears of losing his wife but that's who he was. He wasn't like Obi-Wan and Siri. Even though they weren't Jedi anymore, they still offered themselves for the cause. And Den expected that from them. They were here because of his selfish reasons after all. If they got hurt because of it, he would be responsible.

He sat up and smoothed back his blond hair then went to the door of the bedroom and opened it, walking out to the living room where Andra say on one of the cushioned arm chairs, reading a data-novel. She didn't notice him till he had walked halfway across the room towards her.

Andra slowly put down her data-novel and looked up at him, unsure of what to say. She didn't want to upset him again and cause him to retreat. She just wanted to know what he had gone through. She wanted to comfort him. "Are you feeling better?" She finally asked.

Den nodded and went to sit down in one of the seats across from hers. He reached out and took her hand, running the pad of his thumb over the skin on the back of her hand. "I had a couple visitors while I was in custody."

Andra didn't speak and instead waited for him to continue.

"They were from Pate Mining and Development. You're familiar of them? They apparently have a bid for a chunk of one of the parks."

Andra's brow furrowed. Pate had been the company that approached her a month ago about backing their bid for land. "What did they want with you? You're not even really a part of the POWER party."

"But I am close to you." Den countered. "They came to me because I'm close to you."

Andra felt a rage build up inside her. They had her husband arrested and then tried to bribe him just because of her? "What did they say to you? Did they threaten you?" She pulled him into a hug, "I'm sorry this happened because of me."

Den pulled back from her hug and instead gripped her forearms firmly, "They didn't threaten me. Being arrested for warrants that I got for my own actions, I can deal with. They threatened you, Andra. They threatened you life."

"Wouldn't be the first time. I believe that Offworld was the cause of those "accidents" that killed some members of the POWER party back then. This is not new to my line of work."

Den was flabbergasted by how nonchalantly she was taking this news. "This is different Andra."

"How?"

Den shot to his feet, no longer able to stay calm. How could she not see how serious this was? "Because you're not alone anymore and it isn't just about you!"

"Of course it's not just about me, Den. It's about the entire planet." Andra stood up and put her hands on his shoulders. "Den, I promise threats are nothing. I have you beside me and the POWER party is so much stronger this time. I feel safe and besides if I just back down because of threat then how can anyone be expected to follow me to do what is right?"

"That isn't what I mean!" Den was on the edge. He was desperate. He was tired. He wanted her safe. "This cause isn't worth your life, Andra. These people don't appreciate you and what you do. If Obi-Wan had not come and gave that little speech of his, they would all just drift away and let what happened before, happen again. Why should you risk your life for them?"

"Are you mad at me because I'm not selfish like you?"

"No! I'm mad because you are putting your life second to people that don't deserve your sacrifice."

Andra moved away from and crossed her arms. "You know how important this is to me, Den. You knew that since the day you met me. Just because we're together now, doesn't mean I stop being who I am. You have to trust me enough that I can defend myself."

"I just want you safe." Den sighed, all the anger in him disappearing. He reached out to Andra but she pulled away and headed towards the front door. "Where are you going?"

"I need to think." She looked over her shoulder at him. "Just give me some time. I'll be back." She walked out of the door and closed it behind her. She needed to be alone, needed to think. Some of what Den said was true but a part of her still felt like he was betraying her by suggesting that change her whole personality just to save herself.

She let out frustrated snort and shook her head as she began to walk. She didn't know why she was surprised by his. Den wasn't a man who looked at the bigger picture. She had known that about him when they married. She had no more right to expect anything different from him then he did from her.

In a narrow alley between two of the houses in this suburban area of Thani, a shadowy figure watched Andra leave her home in a huff. It didn't take the force to tune into the fact that Den had told her about his visit from Pate. Her physical demeanor was enough to tell the shadowy watcher that Andra was angry. Not to mention that their argument could be heard throughout the whole neighborhood.

Andra was a stubborn one and she wasn't going to give in easily to threats. At least not threats from two sniveling yes men like Davith and Atlan. The shadowy figure took out its comm and contacted the master. Once the signal was connected on the other end, the shadowy figure skipped the pleasantries and went straight into its report. "She's resistant to Davith and Atlan's offer. The husband obviously is taking the threat seriously though."

After a short pause, a firm, authoritative voice on the other side of the comm spoke, "We need to take a more direct approach then. Get the woman and bring her to me."

"Master, wouldn't it be easier if I just killed her? She would be out of the way."

"No!" The voice was slightly strained. "This is becoming too complicated. If the Jedi weren't here then, yes, you could just kill her but things are different now."

"They aren't even Jedi anymore."

"Do not underestimate the Jedi, Sena." Her master countered sharply. "Over confidence is a misstep we cannot take. If you want to reach the completion of your training, you will do as I say."

Sena composed herself and took a deep breath, "Yes master. I will do as you say."


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Ghosts**

Andra had walked a good distance from home before decided that she had given her and Den enough time to cool down and decided to return home. It was an hour since Obi-Wan and Siri had left to do their scouting and she remembered that none of them had, had much to eat. After such an eventful day, she was sure they could use a good meal and sleep.

She was not too far from her home when a sudden chill ran down her back and she got the impression that someone was following her. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. No one was there. The residential street was dark and quiet. She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, hugging herself to ward off the chill. _You're being foolish, Andra, _she thought to herself. She was just letting threats get to her. Those mining companies were just bullies; they wouldn't actually attack her in public like this. Any attacks from them would no doubt be more along the lines of convenient "accidents".

Her steps quickened as her and den's home came into sight. Some relief came over her and all thoughts of any possible assassins in the shadows disappeared from her mind. The instant her worries eased and her guard lowered, she felt an unseen force grip her shoulders and pull her back and down to the hard ground, knocking the wind from her.

As she laid on the ground in a daze, staring up at the night sky, wondering what was going on, a figure, wearing a hooded cloak approached and stood over her. "You have a meeting to attend." The figure said then reached down for her.

Andra's world went black.

While the suburban streets of Thani were practically deserted this time of night, the downtown area was bustling with beings that were enjoying the nightlife of the city. Wearing their civilian clothing, Obi-Wan and Siri had blended into the crowd with ease and looked to be just any other young couple looking for some entertainment for the evening.

However, the local clubs and nightspots have been the last thing on their mind. The two former Jedi had gone from the crowded entertainment district, to the more muted streets of the business section of the city. All the offices were closed for the night and there were not many people about. Suddenly it became harder for them to appear less conspicuous.

When they had reached the corner of the street across from the main offices of Pate Mining and Development, they stuck out like a sore thumb and anyone passing by would probably take notice of them and think they were up to something being in this part of the city, during this time of night. It was then that Obi-Wan had been struck by a idea that he found particularly pleasing.

He wrapped his arms around Siri and gently pressed her up against the wall of the building that was situated at the corner. His lips pressed against hers in deep kiss. Siri had been completely taken off guard by this sudden show of intimacy. Weren't they supposed to be staking out the Pate building?

Obi-Wan's kisses trailed from her lips, across her cheek and down the side of her neck, forcing Siri's head to lull to the side, giving her an unobstructed view of the facility. "This way we look more like lovers looking for a quiet spot instead of creeping spies." Obi-Wan whispered into her ear between kisses. "Take in building."

Siri smiled, wrapped her arms around Obi-Wan's shoulders and focused her attention onto the Pate building. The office was not much different then the other building that surrounded it. It had a similar architectural style, similar number of levels. The most noticeable difference appeared to be the level of security that Pate had in comparison to other buildings. There wouldn't be any getting into the building tonight without causing a commotion. It would be better to try more legitimate means to gain access.

When they had finished their surveying of the building, the two began their walk back to Andra and Den's home. Once they were a far enough distance away, Siri spoke in a low voice, "All that security seems a little excessive. Do you think that they are really just a mining company? What if they are just a cover like Unify was."

"Unify was a cover for another mining company. This situation doesn't seem the same. There is something off here." Obi-Wan replied "I didn't like the feeling that I got from that building. I sensed something…"

They walked in silence for nearly the rest of their walk till Siri reached out and took his hand. "This was nice." She said softly. "We should try and do this more often."

Obi-Wan glanced over at her with an amused expression on his face. "Stake out a location?"

Siri laughed. "No, Kenobi. I mean spend time together like this. Preferably time where we aren't in the middle of some political squabble and we can just enjoy each other. We haven't been able to do that."

"We will." Obi-wan promised. He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. "Once this is over we will. I just feel right now, for all that they do for us, helping Andra and Den is the least we can offer them."

Siri let out an exasperated sigh and was about to tell Obi-Wan that this wasn't about Andra and Den. She understood Obi-Wan's need to help others, especially friends and she was not angry or disappointed by that. She just wanted to voice that if they were going to make this work; they needed to have alone time other then what happened in the bedroom. However the words never had a chance to pass over her lips.

There was a rush of warning from the force. They were not far from Den and Andra's home now and their gut instincts suggested that whatever danger they were sensing, it had to come from there. They took off in a dead run towards the house.

Several hundred meters from the house they came up on a hooded figure, leaning over a body lying on the ground. As they drew closer, they recognized the body to be Andra, She appeared to be unconscious as the figure picked her up and slung her over their shoulder. Siri and Obi-Wan rushed towards the figure, their hands going to the blasters that Andra had given them earlier.

The figure turned and faced them. It saluted them then turned back and took up with a speed that could only be aided by the force. Siri and Obi-Wan were both floored for an instant. Questions racing through their minds: Who was this person? How could they use the force? Was that darkness they sensed?

Obi-Wan quickly glanced at Siri. "Follow them! I know the lay of the land, I'll try and cut them off and we can box them in. Be careful if you catch up to them before I get there. I sensed the darkside."

Siri nodded and gathered the force around her before taking off in a run to try and catch up with the hooded figure.

Obi-Wan took off in a run between the houses, going through private yards and alleys. He was sure that the street he would come out on would be the one that figure would follow. He just hoped he got there before Siri did. He didn't doubt her abilities to protect herself but they knew nothing about this enemy. They were better off confronting him together.

As he ran, the unease he had sensed when staking out of the Pate office buildings returned, much stronger this time and for an instance he believed he recognized the presence he was sensing. His run became a walk and eventually slowed to a stop. The presence was coming closer.

Obi-Wan looked all around him. He felt his breath quicken and panic fill him. This wasn't sensation he was used to but nothing made sense! What was going on?

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," A familiar cold voice from behind him said. "You look confused."

Obi-Wan looked over his shoulder and caught a glimpse of the person. He couldn't be here though. He was dead! He had jumped into that pool. He had witnessed with Qui-Gon and Andra. When the young man turned around and got a full look at the man behind him, he was sure that he was seeing a ghost. This couldn't be the same man.

"Xanatos?" Obi-Wan's voice was soft and uncertain.

The man sneered, as best he could anyway considering that the skin on his face looked as though it had been severely burned and scared and then reconstructed by medical professionals and days in a bacta tank. He wore a heavy hooded cloak but Obi-Wan got the impression that there was no hair on his scalp. It was disturbing to look at him, disturbing to think that he survived a dip in that acid pool. "Good you recognize me. I was worried. I'm not exactly the man I used to me."

Obi-Wan lifted his hand holding the blaster that Andra had given him and pointed it at Xanatos. "You can't be here. You couldn't have survived the acid."

"You'd be surprised resilient a being filled with hate can be. It's astonishing."

Obi-Wan tried to will his hand to stop shaking. Why was he so terrified? He had faced Xanatos before and he was now older and more trained since then. Yes, he didn't have the security of Qui-Gon around to aid him but he felt like he was twelve again when he had first met Xanatos. Just to add to the shock value of the situation, his appearance made him appear like a monster from a holo-vid of the horror genre that rose from the grave.

"You seem at a loss for words. Perhaps we should skip the pleasantries and just get down to business." Xanatos pushed a flap of his cloak aside, revealing the lightsaber strapped to his belt. "You may not be a Jedi anymore but your presence here is a threat to my overall plan."

Obi-Wan's brow furrowed, "How did you know—"

"I'm talking now." Xanatos interrupted in an authoritative voice. "If you and your girlfriend had just stayed out of the situation, I may have been able to let you go" Xanatos raised his blade and stood in an aggressive pose, ready to strike.

Siri had never lost sight of the figure as she followed him and Andra. She was tiring however. Where was Obi-Wan? Shouldn't he have met up with them by now? Siri came to a sudden stop as the figure slowed and turned around to face her. He was obviously annoyed that he was unable to lose her. Siri raised her blaster to the figure.

"Let her go!" Siri ordered.

The figure lifted his free hand and pulled back the hood of his cloak to reveal, to Siri's surprise, a young female Zabrak who could only be a few years older then herself. "You're a resilient little smoothskin. I have my orders and I'm not letting a failed Jedi getting in my way." She held out her hand and using the Force, called the lightsaber from her belt, into her hand.

Siri stood her ground. If she could just hold off the darksider till Obi-Wan showed up, or disarm her, there was a good chance she could survive this battle. Her main goal was her and Andra's survival.

To be Continued...

**Author's Notes:** Sorry for the delay on this chapter. It was a rough few weeks but I'm back. Even though the chapter is a little short it sets up alot. So...hopefully it's enough for a few days till I get the next one out. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Let's get ready to rumble**

Siri gripped the handle of her blaster nervously. When she had given up her light saber to her master back on Coruscant, she had not expected a situation like this would arise. Now that she was being called to fight and defend an innocent, she felt naked. Yes, the Jedi taught more defense then just with a light saber but Siri had a keen knack with the blade and had always enjoyed the advantage having a saber gave her.

"I said, let her go!" Siri demanded in a strong confident tone she didn't quite feel.

The Zabrak woman did not look impressed. As a force user, she could pick up on Siri's unease. "I'm not an unreasonable woman." She said in an easy tone, as though they were just chatting. "I don't see a need for unnecessary bloodshed. And you have no obligation to help her. Just turn around and walk away. Otherwise, I'll have to kill you." She ignited the blade of her light saber to emphasis her point.

"I have an obligation as a responsible citizen and friend." Siri stepped closer with the blaster pointed squarely at the zebra's head. "Let her go."

The darksider made a face and then let her grip on Andra go, allowing her limp unconscious form to tumble from her shoulder and land unceremoniously onto the hard ground with a _thunk_ sound. "Jedi always have to make things difficult."

Without any further warnings or taunts, the darksider charged towards Siri, thrusting out her blade towards the younger woman. Siri squeezed the trigger of her blaster, unleashing a torrent of shots at the charging zabrak. With a smooth arch of the light saber blade, the bolts of energy were deflected and bounced back towards Siri in random directions. Siri dove to the side and tucked into a roll to dodge Zabrak's charge and the dangerous bolts that came back at her.

When Siri jumped up from her role, her attacker was waiting. She spun around and kicked Siri in the chest, sending her falling back. Siri hit the ground hard, the blaster fell from her ground.

Dazed for only a moment, Siri quickly flipped onto her stomach and reached for the blaster. Just as her fingers brushed against the butt of the blaster, the weapon fell several meters from her. An act that could only be achieved with the aid of the Force. Siri looked over her shoulder and saw the darksider approaching her. She got to her feet and faced the darksider, taking a defensive melee pose.

The Zabrak looked her over, a slightly amused expression on her face. A good sign perhaps? The Zabrak deactivated her blade and clipped it back onto her belt. "I suppose if you're going to be so resilient, I should give you a fair chance. It just wouldn't fun for me to go through all this trouble and not get to have some fun." She took a similar stance to Siri's across from her.

Siri's brow furrowed but she felt a little more ease. At least now they were evenly matched and if the darksider believed herself no match for Siri, it just gave her an even better advantage. Her natural talents may have been with a light saber but in a situation like this she would focus all her concentration on beating her opponent.

_Damnit, Obi-Wan, where are you?_

* * *

Xanatos charged at Obi-Wan, intent on killing him. His movements however were not as swift and smooth as Obi-Wan had remembered however. Obviously the dip into the acid pool had debilitated his physical strength and his ability to perform at the top of his game. However he was still dangerous. The glint in his cold eyes was enough to tell Obi-Wan that even if he wasn't in top physical condition, his determined and that could be enough.

Obi-Wan dodged Xanatos' initial attack, then taking advantage of his attackers clumsiness he used the Force to call upon trash containers that had been placed in the ally and tossed them in Xanatos' path. Dirty tactic but in a life or death situation like this, Obi-Wan wasn't too worried much about that.

Xanatos stumbled as the trash receptacles were hurtled in his path. His anger towards the younger man was only heightened and with a wave of his hand, the containers lifted to the air and flew against the right wall of the alley. The impact was hard enough to cause damage to the building material.

"Not your normal style but it does reveal how desperate you are to win. It's not as easy without a master around to protect you anymore is it?" Xanatos mocked as he swiped at Obi-Wan again. Obi-Wan ducked down and rolled back to put space between him and Xanatos.

"It's not exactly a fair battle." Obi-Wan retorted.

Xanatos shrugged with indifference. "There is no guarantee of fairness in life." He lunged at Obi-Wan clumsily. Waiting till the last possible moment, Obi-Wan reached out and grabbed, Xanatos' wrist. Using Xanatos' momentum against him, Obi-Wan pulled Xanatos forward, twisted his arm and flipped him over onto his back.

Xanatos landed on his back with a grunt of pain. He lost grip of his light saber which clattered to the ground and instantly shut off. Obi-Wan reached out his hand and called the light saber to him with the Force.

When the metal slapped into his hand, he pressed the activator button, bringing the blade to life. He held it down to Xanatos' neck.

Xanatos laughed. "Going to kill me, Obi-Wan? Do you have it in you?"

As Obi-Wan looked down at Xanatos, weakened and defenseless. A strange thought came to him then. He could kill Xanatos right now and that the action wouldn't garner any consequences for him. Xanatos was already considered dead and even if it were discovered that he had managed to live, he doubted the opinion of Xanatos had changed much since his last public appearance. Would anyone really care if he turned up dead?

His thoughts screeched to a halt right there as morality kicked in. What was he thinking?! He was actually contemplating murdering an unarmed man? Even someone like Xanatos didn't deserve that. And Obi-Wan didn't really want to bring himself down to Xanatos' level where taking a life was as easy an everyday task.

"I'm taking you to the authorities." Obi-Wan finally said. "You've run away from justice long enough."

Xanatos didn't appear as though Obi-Wan's threats worried him much. "Before you drag me off to face a long, long, long, long list of charges that await me; perhaps you think about something, Kenobi. All this time that you've been battling me, you've left your little friend to deal Sena alone."

"Sena?" Obi-Wan looked confused for a moment then suddenly remembered about Siri and the darksider who had taken Andra.

"In my current physical state, I needed a someone to do all the grunt work for me. She has an awful blood lust."

A panic began to rise in Obi-Wan. He had told Siri that he would meet up with her. That they would take down this enemy together. She would be expecting him! He looked down at Xanatos suddenly conflicted. He could finally bring Xanatos to justice, something that not even the Jedi order could accomplish. And he had a sneaking suspicion that Xanatos' presence and Andra's troubles were not unrelated.

However, if he choose to take Xanatos in, he would be leaving Siri to the devices of a darksider that Xanatos had teamed up with just so she would make up for the physical abilities he was lacking. He was very concerned that Siri might not survive the encounter with her without her light saber.

He made his choice. He wasn't going to abandon Siri. While he had offered to help Andra and Den, he wasn't willingly to risk Siri's life. He clicked off the light saber and turned, running off in the direction he had been heading to catch up with Siri and Sena.

Once he was alone, Xanatos sat up, gritting his teeth against the pain of the muscles in his back. It had been foolish to confront Obi-Wan in his current state. Qui-Gon always had said that his pride was his main downfall and he had been nearly certain that he could be a match for a Padawan learner, even in his current state. Luckily for him, he always had a an escape planned. No one could fault him for not being thorough in that area.

He moved slowly, careful not to aggravate his aching body anymore then he already had. Anger seethed through him. That little punk….Why did the Jedi always have to show up and ruin his plans?

The Order wasn't involved in the everyday affairs of nothing planets like Telos. They barely associated with anyone. If it wasn't the expectancy to be "Defenders of the republic" they would practically be cloistered. Yet they always managed to get involved in whatever scheme he was planning. He was getting sick of it.

He took out his comm from his cloak and called for Sena. He had a change of plans. If the Jedi insisted on being involved, even these pathetic ex-Jedi, he would accommodate them into his plans. "Sena, don't kill the ex-Jedi. I want her alive with Andra. And you had better move fast. The other one is one the way."

* * *

Siri ducked under two of her opponent's punches, she wasn't so lucky on the third however. The fist made contact right under her nose, she could feel her upper lip split open from the force of the blow. Coppery tasting blood slide over her lips and down her chin as her head snapped back. She staggered a little but recovered quickly and stood ready for another assault.

Sena had her own share of bruises and cuts forming on her features but if she was feeling any effects from the fist fight so far, she wasn't showing it and Siri could kick herself for not remembering--till after they had already began--that the Zabrak species had a higher tolerance for pain then a human would.

Sena turned and kicked her leg out, with her quick reflexes, Siri managed to grasp her boot and twist it, causing Sena to lose her balance. It was moments like these, when the darksider showed weaknesses in her combat that Siri wondered just where she had come from.

If the she had ever been at the Jedi temple, she would probably have been ahead of Siri and Obi-Wan but not by much. Siri surmised that she didn't have much combat training besides the basics and relied mainly on her strength, anger and high tolerance for pain to see her through to the winning end of a battle.

When Sena landed on the ground she let out an "oaf!" sound. Siri leaned down and grabbed the collar, pulling her up. She balled up her fist and unleashed several punches square at Sena's face. Sena's head snapped back with each punch and blood began to drip from her nose.

As Siri's fist went back to strike her again, Sena let out a cry, summoning the strength she needed to reach out and grab Siri's fist as it came towards her. She twisted Siri's arm around behind her back, locking it there. With her free hand, Sena reached for her light saber that was clipped to her belt. She was tired of this game now. Of course she didn't just want to kill her.

With the activated light saber in her grip, she smashed the hilt against the back of Siri's head. Siri saw stars shoot in front her eyes as it impacted with her skull. When Sera let her arm loose, Siri staggered forward, reaching up to feel the back of her head. Her fingers cam back wet with blood. She could feel a dizziness beginning to overtake her.

Sera causally walked around to face Siri's front, a smug smile on her scared face. "Getting tired? I have to admit I'm impressed you've lasted this long." She swim her arm out that held the light saber hilt and smack it against Siri's face. Siri barely could feel the hit at this point but the force of it caused her whole body to shift sideways and topple her over. She fells to her knees, spitting out the blood that had begun to pool in her mouth.

With slight nudge from Sera's boot to her shoulder, Siri keeled over from her knees, onto her back and laid there, breathing heavily and staring skyward.

Sera stood over her and activated her light saber. She raised it up, intending to give the final kill but was interrupted by the beeping of her comm that was attached to her belt. "Sera…" came the strained voice of her master, "don't kill the ex-Jedi. I want her alive with Andra. And you had better move fast. The other one is one the way"

Sera looked down at the human she had been fighting. She was still conscious, unfortunately for her.

With a flick of her thumb, Sera deactivated her saber then grabbed Siri's tunic front and lifted her up. She pulled back and then smacked the saber hit across the girl's head, relieving her of any senses she still had after that beating.

Siri's body went limp as she lost consciousness completely. Sera looked between the two women then leaned down and picked up Siri, slinging the bloody thing over her shoulder. She then did the same for Andra.

Summoning up the Force around her, she took off in a bust of speed.

* * *

Obi-Wan had followed the path of Siri's force signature to try and locate where she and the darksider would be. There was a battle going on, he could feel the dark energy that was building as he drew closer and closer. However when he arrived, he was greeted with nothing. No battle, no Siri, no Andra. Just blood droplets on the ground and a large concentration of residual force energy from the fight.

He wasn't sure how much of a head start they had on him but he couldn't pinpoint either Siri's signature or the darksider. He ran a hand through his sweat drenched hair and cursed under his breath. He had let Xanatos go, left Siri to fend for herself when he had told her they would take Sera down together. Now Siri was gone as well as Andra!

**A/N:** It really hurt having to have Siri beat up like that believe me. I did not enjoy it. Hope the battle scenes were okay. Battles are not my best work and having two seperate battles at once was a hurtle. Hopefully it made sense atleast. Also, i wonder do you guys get tired of the "Oh noes! Cliffhanger! Dun Dun dun!" set up I usually do?


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